Draft-gear for railway-cars.



No. 766,772. PATENTBD AUG. 2, 1904. D. C. ROSS.

DRAFT GEAR FOR RAILWAY GARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.1l, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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lllllllllllllll IIIII' UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

DELMAR O. ROSS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DRAFT-GEAR FOR RAILWAY-CARS- SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,772, dated August 2, 1904.

Application filed November 11, 1902. Serial No. 130,865. (No model.)

To (all whom, it ntay concern.-

Be it known that I, DELMAR C. Ross, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gear for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in draft-gear for railway-cars; and it consists particularly in combining with a draft-bar a draft-gear with a spring for resisting the movement of the draft-bar and means for producing a rotating friction when draft is applied to compress the spring, and, further, in the construction of the followers whereby the followers are caused to rotate and to produce the rotational friction, and,further, in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved device in its multiple form. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional section through a two-follower device. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the followers and its cap. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the end plates. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 11* :11, Fig. 2.

My improved spring resisting friction device is adaptcd to be applied upon theordinary draft-rigging now in use upon railwaycars and is intended to be used, for instance, in place of the so-called spring braking device for railway-car couplers shown in the patent which was issued to me on January 28, 1902, No. 692,074.

I do not show in the drawings the longitudinal timbers in which the drai -gear is supported.

A represents any suitable brackets secured to the frame of the car or to the longitudinal timbers thereof, being securely fastened thereto in any suitable manner. (Not shown.) These brackets are provided with shoulders or stops B at opposite ends, against which rest the plates G.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 I show a two-part housing for the spring, consisting of an inner follower D and an outer follower E, in this case shown as substantially complete cylinders, one fitting within the other with sufficient allowance so that the follower D may be telescoped into the follower E when the two plates C are caused to approach each other by the action of the draw-bar F. The two followers 1) and E have suitable heads a 7), between which the usual spiral spring is placed. This spring is omitted from Fig. 1

for the reason that the device can be best illustrated by its omission; butit will be readily understood that the spring may be similar to the springs Gr Ur, (shown in Fig. 2,) a single spring only extending between the two heads a b and within the followers. The followers D and E are provided with complementary interlocking ribs and recesses a it of twisted or spiral form. The parts being thus constructed, assuming that the draw-bar F moves to the left, the plate C will be moved toward the plate at the other end and the follower D will likewise be moved to the left, compressing the spring. This movement will not only compress the spring, but will cause the followers to rotate partially, producing a friction between the heads a Z) and the plates O and further friction between the spiral ribs and recesses or grooves e 7:, adding a frictional resistance to the resistance of the spring, which resistance of course is increased as the spring is put under greater tension, and thereby increasing the resisting capacity of the device. Of course the same effect will be produced if the draw-bar F is pushed in and the follower E moved upon the follower D.

In Fig. 2 I show the same construction, only applied to a two-follower device. In this construction I employ a follower H and a follower I, each having at its end spiral projections J and intermediate spiral ways K, the projections J of one follower entering into and interlocking in the ways K of the other follower. Abutting against the end of each follower Hand I are follower-plates L and M, which form abutments for the inner ends of the springs G G, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. I may and preferably do provide the outerfaces of .these two followers H and I with spiral ribs and grooves kl, which engage with complementary ribs and grooves on the inner face of the cylindrical housing 0, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. Upon the ends of the followers H and I are detachably secured the heads P, having means for preventing their rotation in relation to their respective followers. A simple way of preventing this rotation is to provide them with suitable ribs or lugs Q, which engage in the ends of the spiral grooves Z at the ends of the followers. I provide the end plates C preferably withlugs R, which engage central apertures in the heads of the followers, as plainly shown in Figs. 1,

2, 3, 4. In this two-follower construction it is obvious that I not only get the resistance of the springs, but the frictional resistance of the heads P against the .plates C, the frictional resistance of the interlocking ends of the two followers, and the frictional resistance between the followers and the housing 0 regardless of whether the draw-bar F is drawn out or pushed in.

I believe I am the first to employ in a draftgear a spring for resisting the movement of the draft-bar, with means for producing a rotating frictional resistance in addition to the resistance of the spring.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a friction draft-gear, a draft-bar, a spring for resisting the movement of the draftbar, a follower against which the spring acts, aplate movable with the follower and held against rotation therewith, and means for rotating the follower to produce a frictional resistance, upon movement of the draft-bar to compress the spring.

2. In a friction draft-gear, a draft-bar, a spring for resisting the movement of the draftbar, a follower against which the spring acts, and a screw, or spiral upon the follower, a plate movable with the follower and held against rotation therewith, a complementary bearing which said screw or spiral engages,

- whereby it will be rotated when the spring is compressed.

3. In a friction draft-gear, a follower comprising the two parts having interengaging screws or spirals, a plate movable with the follower and held against rotation therewith, a spring between the parts of the follower, and a draft-bar adapted to operate the follower to compress the spring and cause a rotational movement of the follower parts to produce a frictional resistance to the movement of the draft-bar.

4. In afriction draft-gear, the combination of complementary interlocking followers, of spiral bearings for such interlocking portions,

a plate movable with the follower and held against rotation therewith and springs to resist the movement of said follower.

'5. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of two followers having spiral projections J andintermediate spiral bearings K, the projections and bearings adapted to interlock detachable non-rotatable heads upon the outer end of the two followers and a spring G G between the ends of the followers, substantially as described.

6. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of two .followers having interlocking spirals at adjacent ends, interposed springs between the opposite ends of the two followers, ribs and grooves upon the outer faces thereof, a housing such as 0 having complementary spirals and detachable non-rotatable caps upon the ends of the followers.

7. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of two followers having interlocking spirals at adjacent ends, interposed springs between the opposite ends of the two followers, ribs and grooves upon the outer faces thereof, and a housing having complementary spirals.

8. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of complementary interlocking followers, centrally-apertured closures at the outer ends of the followers, plates having lugs adapted to loosely engage the apertures in the closures, spiral bearings for the interlocking followers, and springs to resist the movement of said followers.

9. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of followers having interlocking spirals at adjacent ends, intermediate spiral bearings for the followers, and springs in the followers to produce a frictional resistance.

10. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of followers having spiral projections and intermediate spiral bearings, the projections and bearings adapted to interlock, a detachable non-rotatable head upon the outer end of each follower, plates loosely engaging the non-rotatable heads, and springs between the ends of the followers.

11. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of a plurality of interlocking rotatable followers, intermediate spiral bearings for the followers, and springs to resist the movement of the followers.

12. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of a plurality of rotatable followers, means for interlocking the followers at adjacent ends, and springs to resist the movement of the followers.

l3. Ina friction draft-gear, the combination of a plurality of interlocking rotatable followers, intermediate spiral bearings for the followers, and yieldable means to resist the movement of the followers.

14:. In a friction draft-gear, the combination of a plurality of rotatable followers, the follower, but held against rotation therew means for interlocking the followers at adjawith.

cent ends, and yieldable means to resist the In testimony whereofl aflix my signature in movement of the followers. presence of two witnesses.

5 15. In a friction draft-gear, a draft-bar, a s i 1 s spring for resisting the movement of the draft- DLLMAR Robb bar, a rotatable follower upon which the l/Vitnessesz spring acts, and a plate abutting the follower, IDA PoRA'rH,

said plate being arranged to shift bodily with A. G. ROBERTSON. 

